In an entertaining exhibition match on Wednesday at the Nyayo National Stadium basketball gymnasium, Nairobi City Thunder demonstrated their superiority by defeating top South Sudanese basketball team Cobra Sports 77-69.
With 22 points, guard Albert "Kenya Airways" Odero was Thunder's best player. His teammate, forward Okall Koranga, contributed 20 points to their success. South Sudanese Garang Diing was also in fine form against his compatriots, as with 14 points, he was one of Thunder's three players who managed double-digit points.
Cobra Sports also had three players dropping double digits.
Power forward Deng Kongor outscored everyone on the court with 24 points.
His teammates, Ajak Malaat and Wang Thouk, came through with 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the visitors.
Thunder started the contest well, winning the first quarter 22-16. However, they slacked in the second quarter, allowing the visitors to come back to the game and take a 31-34 lead into the halftime break.
Cobra Sports' halftime lead would have been greater, but their profligacy from the free throw, which continued for the rest of the match, came to haunt them in the third quarter as rejuvenated Thunder outscored them 27-21 to take a 58-55 lead into the final quarter.
The final quarter did not match the intensity of the third quarter which was the highest scoring quarter but Thunder continued to dominate and outscored their opponents 19-14 to carry the day with a 77-69 victory.
A capacity crowd, which included ICT CS Eliud Owalo, cheered on both teams. Cobra Sports is gaining a legion of South Sudanese fans who are as vocal as their Kenyan hosts.
Nairobi Select defeated Twende Ladies 44-42 in an earlier women's match at the same venue.
Thunder, who have hopes of breaking into the elite Basketball Africa League (BAL), have been unbeaten in the 2023–24 Kenyan Basketball Premier League season.
The team has won all 21 regular season matches, and their victory over African Nazarene in their last game of the season will see them go into the 8-team playoffs with a perfect record.
The victory over SSD Cobra Sports was a statement of Thunder's ability to hold its own among the best in Africa, considering that the South Sudanese team featured in the 2022 BAL season.
BAL, the premier men's basketball league in Africa, is now in its fourth season. No Kenyan team has ever participated in that competition, which assembles the best basketball teams in Africa.
Thunder must first win this season's KBF Premier League to qualify for next season's BAL.
They are a strong favorite to unseat KPA, who have won the league in six of the last eight seasons, with Ulinzi Warriors, the champions in 2015 and 2019, the only team to challenge their dominance.
Cobra Sports arrived in Kenya on Monday and will be there for a few more days as they have to play two more friendly matches against Equity Hawks and an all-star team.
